Tide refocusing after 2 gamedays of struggling

Alabama only lost one of its last two games, but head coach Nick Saban has not been pleased with the team’s effort.

“No matter how you cut the mustard, whether we won both of the last two games or lost both of the last two games, I don’t think we’ve executed as well as a football team,” Saban said.

The biggest lack of execution has come from Alabama’s defense. The Tide had the No. 1 ranked defense nationally, but was exposed by LSU and Texas A&M. Alabama has allowed 46 points in the last two games after holding opponents to 8.1 points per game through the first eight. The Tide has also allowed 853 yards of total offense and forced zero turnovers.

Offensively, Alabama has committed five turnovers, including quarterback AJ McCarron’s first two interceptions of the season. The offense continued its third quarter struggles. After gaining momentum going into halftime, Alabama struggled after the break against the Aggies.

“We just have to continue to improve and push ourselves as a team, especially in the third quarter,” running back Eddie Lacy said. “If we work ourselves harder in practice, we’ll be able to play the way we need to, especially in the third quarter, and I’m pretty sure that this week we’ll put a big emphasis on that.”

Injury update

Cornerback John Fulton, who saw an increased role in the Crimson Tide secondary against the Aggies, is dealing with turf toe and is considered “very questionable.”

“Pretty good one,” Saban said, referring to the injury. “He actually finished the game with it. It really swelled up quite a bit and all that.”

Saban said Fulton was the only player who was significantly injured against Texas A&M.

Players of the week

Five Alabama players were recognized by the coaching staff for their outstanding performances following Saturday’s game against Texas A&M. Amari Cooper and Eddie Lacy were named players of the week on offense while John Fulton and C.J. Mosley represented the defense. On special teams, Cody Mandell was selected.

Cooper recorded a game-high 136 yards on six catches with one touchdown. Cooper leads the team with 38 receptions, 608 yards and six touchdowns. Lacy totaled 127 yards on the day, including 92 on the ground on 16 carries. Lacy leads Alabama in rushing through 10 games with 771 yards and also leads the team with nine rushing touchdowns.

Mosley led all players with 14 total tackles, including nine solo stops and a sack. He leads the team with 83 tackles on the season and is tied for the lead with four sacks. Fulton got the start at cornerback and recorded five tackles (four solo) and a career-high four pass breakups.

On special teams, Mandell averaged 56.5 yards on four punts. He had two kicks of 60 yards and two others of 54 and 52 yards, respectively. Mandell ranks 14th nationally in punting with a season average of 44 yards.

Iron Bowl

The SEC announced Monday that Alabama’s home game against Auburn on Nov. 24 will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised by CBS.